Vancouver was smarting from their Game One shellacking, and it was realistic to at least begin to wonder what they could do to force a different style of play. even if outcomes seemed a little too much to ask. Staying out of the penalty box would be a start, as the Isles raked them over the coals on the power play in the series opener, as would be avoiding the early deficit that put them on the back skate three evenings ago. The capacity crowd in Uniondale is already looking forward to a coronation, but what will they get once the puck hits the ice?
The thunderous roar that filled the Nassau Coliseum lasted less than thirty seconds. Vancouver won the opening face-off, moved into the Islander end and Lars Lindgren found Lars Molin unchecked in the slot; the latter Lars whipped a snapper over Billy Smith's right shoulder and into the top netting and the Canucks had their first lead of the Finals after just twenty-six seconds. The early momentum didn't stop there as the Canadian club dominated play for long stretches, outshooting New York 21-5 in the period, and Ivan Hlinka tipped home a cross ice feed from Darcy Rota at 6:02 to double the Islander deficit. The home team survived the first power play of the game when Brent Sutter went off for goalie interference; it was perhaps a sign of how things were going for the Isles when Sutter came out of the box and almost immediately went in all alone on Richard Brodeur, was pulled down from behind by Doug Halward, and was then stiffed by Brodeur on the resulting penalty shot.
When Ivan Boldirev went into the bin for holding four minutes into the second period, the power play offered New York a lifeline, and they took it. One minute into the penalty, Sutter slapped home a pass from Bob Nystrom and the crowd was back into things. But the momentum was cut short when Billy Smith got caught holding Stan Smyl from behind and Vancouver turned the momentum of the power play into a goal thirty seconds after the infraction expired as Darcy Rota was sprung free by Boldirev's pass off a turnover and slipped the puck under Smith for a 3-1 Canuck lead. But the middle frame had been controlled by the home team and they took advantage when a delayed penalty whistle with less than three minutes to go was turned into a goal by Bob Bourne. The Islanders were within one again, with (at least) twenty minutes left to play at home, and were energized as they skated off at intermission.
It wasn't immediately clear what was said in the two locker rooms at the break, but whatever it was led to a frenetic, back-and-forth twenty minutes of hockey in the third period. Much like at the start of the game, New York was caught flat-footed off of the opening face-off and Thomas Gradin finished off a nice combination play with Curt Fraser and Stan Smyl with a goal after only thirty seconds and Vancouver had a small cushion once more. But a pair of nearly-coincidental minors gave New York a sixteen-second man-advantage three minutes later and that was long enough for the Islander power play, as Bourne scored again with the man advantage to trim the lead back to a single score. After a brief hiatus in the action to watch Tiger Williams and Denis Potvin throw down the gloves, the Canucks responded again when Blair MacDonald beat Smith with a wrist shot at 12:43 to make it 5-3. But neither MacDonald nor Vancouver could stand the comfort, as the winger got caught hooking a minute later and once again the Isles' power play struck - this time it only took 24 seconds before Bryan Trottier finished off a goalmouth scramble for NY's fourth goal (and 6th PPG of the series!) to once again climb back within one. As the final minutes approached, the anticipated Islander push had its knees cut out from under it when Bourne was forced to hook Fraser to stop a counter-attack, and the Canuck power play finally had its first success at the ninth time of asking. MacDonald got his second of the game when Lindgren found him at the back post with one second left on the man advantage, and the visitors had their two-goal lead back with just three minutes to go. NYI pulled Smith for the final 80 seconds, and Trottier had two golden chances from close range that were turned away by Brodeur and, suddenly it was looking like a series.
The Canucks held their resolve despite the Islanders pulling to within a goal on three different occasions, and will now have a chance to play from levels terms on Pacific Coliseum time. [Broadcast of real-life game]
Stars of the Game
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| Blair MacDonald, VAN |
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